1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for solar heating, and more particularly to solar heating panels which can be affixed to existing walls and which also serve as building insulation.
2. Prior Art
In recent years, the expense and environmental damage which are associated with the use of fossil fuels have led to increased efforts in the direction of the use of solar energy. Typically, this has resulted in designs utilizing walls of solar panels tilted at a particular angle toward the southern sun and comprised of complex combinations of heat absorbers, pipes or other heat transmitting equipment, and means for circulating the heat into the building. The complexity of such structures has resulted in considerable expense in construction of the equipment, and has also normally necessitated the incorporation of the solar heating equipment into the design of the building prior to construction. The expense and complexity associated with such structures has led to attempts to design devices which can be attached to existing structures and use solar energy to heat or assist in heating the structures. Examples of such devices can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,931,578 and 3,875,925.
The present invention is a device which can be readily attached to an existing structure without extensive modification. It provides means for use of solar energy to assist in heating the building during the day, and also provides for insulation of the building during the night so as to prevent heat loss and increase the efficiency of the standard heating system of the building. The extra heat obtained during the day and the heat loss prevented during the night both result in a savings in fuel for the building heating system.